To call Durian a large man, was an understatement, although not fat, he was large and wide, his head was shaved bald and he was wearing clothes that made him look like more of a thug than a member of one of the main families should ever be allowed to.
He looked like he was in the latter half of his thirties and with a body like that it was clear that he was in his prime.
He wasn't bad looking either, although his eyes were a bit shifty, making him look as if he was planning something sinister all the time.
Whether or not it was the case, at that moment Durian bowed elegantly to Cranberry.
"Young lady, you are just as beautiful as I expected."
His calm confident baritone was pleasant for the ears of anyone listening.
"Even though such words come from a gentleman like yourself, they don't mean much if you were expecting an ugly duckling."
Cranberry curtsied and responded with a pleasant smile.
"Hahaha! I beg your pardon, my lady, I should have made myself more clear."
Durian bowed again, even deeper than before.
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"I didn't want to hurt your pride. What I meant was, that as you know, I'm one of the Greed family, and as such, I always yearn for more. More valuables, more strength, and more beauty. Hence I asked your mother for a painting of you, just to be sure, and she gave me a masterpiece. I'm happy to say the artist caught your charms perfectly."
Durian said smoothly.
"Haa... Is that so..."
Cranberry lowered her head, seemingly bashful, but in truth, she was hiding the furious expression.
"Indeed. That said, I would like to invite you for a meal where we will discuss our marriage. I've been told that you could be rather hesitant but I assure you, I'm far better than any other living man."
Durian raised and proudly hit his fist against his chest which created a surprisingly loud sound.
"If you say so."
Cranberry smiled gently, looked up at him, and then lowered her head bashfully again.
"May I know what level my soon-to-be husband is?"
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"...!"
Her next question made Zombie almost cough from shock even though he wasn't breathing or producing saliva for that matter, thankfully he stopped himself and could keep up the act of the dumb corpse.
Durian's brows furrowed for a moment.
"You... seem a bit more agreeable than what your mother led me to believe..."
He took a better look at the young girl in front of him.
"Of course, I know about the power that the avatars of sin have over their own family members, but still... fascinating..."
Durian seemed pleasantly surprised.
"I'm sorry, this little girl is very inexperienced, would my future husband liked it better if this little girl acted a bit more daring...?"
Cranberry was so meek and soft-spoken that Zombie could barely recognize her.
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The blue boy didn't even have to concentrate on acting like a dumb corpse, he literally became dumbfounded and could only stare at his master with the half-opened mouth.
"Is that so...? But I've heard that you yourself are level 40 despite your age. Calling yourself inexperienced or little doesn't quite cut it now, does it?"
Durian crossed his arms and stared at her with suspicion.
"Ah...! B-but how else a little girl like myself can keep herself safe. The world is big and scary..."
Cranberry's shoulders trembled.
"As a Pride, this little girl has to upkeep her honor, so she trains diligently. But... with a strong gentle person, as her husband..."
She bashfully stepped towards the large man, grabbed onto his shirt, and looked up at his face shyly.
"If a dependable person like that would show up and took her in his strong arms, she could use this diligence for something else..."
(Who the hell is that lovestruck girl?! What happened?! Did my master got hit by a charm spell?! What is going on?! Why is she talking in third person?!)
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Zombie was in a state of total confusion and actually looked back at the Dandelions' carriage disappearing in the distance, thinking that he would maybe spot the real Cranberry laughing at him from the window.
"This little girl always loved reading books..."
The red-haired girl shyly traced circles on Durian's shirt.
"That I've heard..."
He nodded.
"She always dreamed about someone like that... so... the level...?"
Cranberry mostly kept up the sweet voice, although she showed a hint of impatience in her voice and her real personality right at the end.
"I'm level 68- hmm... wait no. Level 75."
Durian responded but it seemed that he changed his mind halfway and gave a bigger number.
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"Level 75...! You are so strong!"
Cranberry's eyes shone and she grabbed onto his shirt with both hands and climbed on her tiptoes while praising him.
"A... well, yes, I am."
Though at first surprised, Durian smiled having his ego stroked like that.
Feeling confident, he slid his arm around her waist.
"Then, the meal. I think it will be much more pleasant than I have ever hoped for even in my greediest dreams."
He laughed, and completely missed the murderous glare that Cranberry gave him when he touched her.
"...graough... (...I will rip off that hand...)"
Unluckily, Zombie has missed the evil glare, mainly because he himself was giving Durian a similar murderous look.
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His silent groan reminded the large man about the boy's presence.
"Right, your corpse puppet... he's a bit... I don't want to sound rude... underwhelming..."
Durian sneered at Zombie's appearance and was unaware of how Cranberry clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.
"He's just..."
She looked at her servant and smirked.
"...a dumb corpse that listens to my commands. By your side, I won't be needing him anymore."
She turned back to Durian and bashfully grabbed his hand.
"I want to listen to you a lot more, could we get inside already, please?"
She fidgeted and asked in a small voice.
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"Of course, of course."
Durian smiled benevolently and nodded.
"You, leave the baggage here, my slaves will take care of it."
He spared a single glare at Zombie and focused back on Cranberry.
"Then, shall we go?"
He asked and started leading her without even waiting for an answer.
"..."
Cranberry breathed out through her nose and held back the words that came to her mind, and Zombie followed them while staring daggers at Durian's back.
As soon the three of them stepped inside the mansion, Zombie was approached by two butlers.
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"I hope you don't mind that I use some precautions with your corpse puppet? The corpse venom can be a pain."
He nodded at the butlers and they pulled out a muzzle and something looking like a leather straight jacket.
"You don't mind, right?"
Durian observed Cranberry carefully, but she only tilted her head like a puppy.
"If that is my future husband's will, why would I mind it?"
She asked innocently.
"Good, good."
His eyes shone and he nodded with content.
"You two, what are you waiting for? Tie him up and take him away, my wife and I are going to have a meal together!"
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He shouted at the butlers and pulled Cranberry close.
Zombie didn't resist, since Cranberry herself allowed for it, and he was muzzled by the servants, they didn't even care about the long tube he was carrying on his back and simply tied the straight jacket over it.
The blue boy was only focused on the hand that Durian was touching Cranberry with.
His heart wasn't beating for a long time already, but right now he felt as if his blood was boiling.
When the butlers tried to pull him away they found themselves unable to even make him budge.
"What the...?"
One of them even used a skill, his arms shone and he pulled so hard that a vein popped up on his neck, but there was no effect whatsoever.
"Are you two serious? I said, take him away!"
Durian frowned and shouted at the servants that flinched and started cowering.
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"Zombie, go with them."
Cranberry said and put her hand on top of Durian's hand.
"...graough...! (...I'll rip it off...!)"
Zombie growled furiously, but obediently let himself be taken away.
"..."
Cranberry looked away from Durian and frowned.
(Should... should I have told Zombie about my objective for today...?)
She thought to herself, suddenly concerned about her servant's behavior.
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